Homesteaders share self-sufficiency tips
“This year has shown us that anything can happen and I don’t want to be the one scrambling to take care of my family in case of emergency,” said Melissa DeJong.
Because the Egmont Bay, P.E.I., woman is a homesteader, she hasn’t had to worry about food supply and shortages during COVID-19. Her family has been kept secure in a time of great insecurity, she said.
Homesteading is a simple lifestyle where people strive to derive some of their living requirements through the use of their skills and resources found on their land, explained Caleb Read, another homesteader in P.E.I.
There is a key distinction between homesteading and self-sufficiency, he said. A homesteader isn’t restricted to consume what is only found and produced on their land. Rather, a homesteader can be part of a community where trading and sharing makes everybody in the neighbourhood wealthier.
Steve McBride, a homesteader who lives on an acre of land outside St. John’s, N.L., said for him, homesteading is a combination of several activities typically associated with farming.
Where modern farming usually has a single, large-scale focus, like raising chickens or growing crops, a homestead has many smaller components.
“They more closely resemble the original ‘homesteads’ of the 19th century and before,” said McBride.
Homesteading is also more than just food, he said. It’s the production of anything and everything you would otherwise have to import and purchase, including music and entertainment. It’s a big tent.
“Homesteading has been on an upward trajectory in Newfoundland for years,” said McBride. “But COVID-19 has been a real game-changer.”
PANDEMIC SHIFT
DeJong said the pandemic has taught people just how fragile this society can be. She’s happy to see the influx of people who are now doing gardening, canning and other homestead-type activities, and suspects these activities will continue into the new year and beyond for many.
“Seeing supply shortages affect many ordinary aspects of daily shopping was alarming and I feel homesteading has acted as insulation against supply disruptions, too,” said McBride, noting it’s not a big deal for him if a store is out of something for a few days or even a few weeks.
Another unexpected benefit of homesteading came to light during the pandemic, said McBride. Usually, the primary disadvantage is the remoteness and lower levels of social interaction of homesteaders, but in this case, it turned out to be a huge benefit.
Previously, homesteading could feel a little lonely at times, he said.
“Although animals are great company and endless entertainment, living rurally on an acreage means a lot less person-to-person interaction and less social time,” he said. “COVID-19 has been a great game-changer in this regard, as everyone is now up to speed with Zoom and we’re getting used to carrying on our social time remotely. This levels the field for folks like us.”
DIFFERENT PATHS
Those who find themselves homesteading come to it in various ways.
Garry Leeson from Harmony, Colchester County, writes about his experiences in his book, “The Dome Chronicles.” For him, homesteading was never a hobby — rather, it’s a lifestyle that enables him to do what he wanted, when he wanted. It’s also in his blood — he’s a fourth-generation homesteader.
McBride, meanwhile, became a homesteader out of necessity — an attempt to reduce the family debt and monthly expenses. They cut subscriptions to gyms and entertainment features, stopped eating out and instead hiked, foraged for food and learned to cook.
This naturally led his family to homestead, he said, wanting to provide for themselves, cutting out costs where possible.
“We learned that homeproduced food was better and cheaper,” said McBride. “Freeing up money also freed up time, which then let us acquire new skills that freed up more money and time.”
GET STARTED
McBride’s advice for anyone starting on a journey of homesteading is to just take the leap.
When his family began their homesteading journey, they were living in an attached townhouse right downtown. They grew a container garden in their driveway, kept plants on the roof and utilized whatever they could to get going — with a plan tucked away to eventually move to a rural property where they could pursue the dream fully.
“Don’t wait until you’re on your ideal property or in your ideal space — just pick one aspect and go,” he said.
DeJong suggests starting small — do one thing, get good at it, then add something new.
“Start with one animal, learn to care for it, before getting another. Start your garden small. You can build up. And don’t let the setbacks stop you or you’ll miss the rewards,” she said.
If you add too much at once, McBride said it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like it’s too much work.
Leeson recommends finding somebody from an earlier generation to mentor you, while Read says to hone your carpentry and general handyman skills, as they are essential.
“On any house, but especially an old farmhouse, there is always something in disrepair that needs attention,” said Read. “Being able to grab the tools and get the job done not only expedites the fix but also keeps your wallet intact and gives you more abilities you can share with neighbours.”
But beware — homesteading is a lot of work, said DeJong.
After working an outside job, she works another four hours when she gets home.
“Things can and often do go wrong, like illness in livestock or a bad growing season and we can’t just pass it on to someone else,” she said.
She’s had to play midwife, staying up all night caring for a sick animal.
“We’ve had predators and pests. Weather and maintenance. It can be very emotionally taxing one day and so rewarding the next,” she said.
For Read, the goal has never been to become completely self-sufficient but rather to just enjoy the process of making part of their living through their own hands.
“There is a certain satisfaction that comes from eating a piece of fruit or feeling the heat from a tree you harvested,” he said. “The desire to produce what we consume comes, at least partly, from a rejection of our hyper-convenience oriented society where anything and everything you could ever want can be brought in front of you with the click of a mouse.”
He believes many individuals have become so specialized in our occupations that they are left empty, without the satisfaction that what they are doing matters.
“Homesteading is the antidote,” said Read. “Satisfying the raw requirements to life and through this, giving purpose.”